1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an amusement ride that simulates the various aspects of extraterrestrial travel including space travel, weightlessness, and the effects of reduced gravitational influence experienced while walking on an extraterrestrial body that is smaller than the earth and thus has less gravitational effect on the user relative to the gravitational effect of the earth.
2. Background of the Prior Art
It has been famously stated that space is the final frontier for humans. Since the beginning of recorded history, man has had a love affair with space. Man has written about space, man has studied space, and man has had a desire to travel into space in order to touch the stars. Relatively recently in man""s history, we have had the ability to travel into space and return. We have landed people on the moon and we have sent a vehicle into space, had the vehicle return, and reused the vehicle for travel back into space over and over again. We have begun construction on a space station that will allow people from all over the earth to live and study in space. And very recently, we have had a man-made object launched from the earth, launched a long time back, leave the solar system.
However, with all of the mind-boggling developments that have taken place regarding space in less than half a century, actual space travel remains beyond the grasp of all but the very select few. Although more people than ever are traveling into space, the total numbers are still very tiny and leave millions wanting to travel.
Recently space tourists have been allowed to travel into on board Russian space vehicles, however, the multi-million dollar ticket paid by such tourists, reflecting the cost of space travel, is beyond the means of the vast majority of space enthusiasts yearning for the feeling of weightlessness. Additionally, such space tourists have had to undergo prolonged and demanding training prior to space launch.
In order to allow humans to experience the weightlessness experienced by space travelers without actually leaving the earth""s atmosphere, a DC-10 is taken high up in the atmosphere and travels in a parabolic curve at a high rate of speed giving the passengers the feeling of zero gravity. The maneuver, performed on what is affectionately called the xe2x80x9cVomit Comet,xe2x80x9d is used by would-be astronauts during training for upcoming space travel, and has also been used by actors preparing for a space travel-based film. While a ride on the Vomit Comet will give a person a true feel of weightlessness, very few people have the financial ability to commandeer a DC-10 or similar jet to perform high speed high altitude maneuvers.
Therefore, there exists a need in the art for a device that allows a person of ordinary means to experience the thrills and excitement of space travel without the necessity of actually traveling through space, which is an extremely high cost undertaking. Such a device should allow a person to experience the sights and sounds of space travel, the weightlessness of space travel, and the effects of reduced gravitational pull experienced when walking on a celestial body that is smaller than the earth. Such a device must be extremely cost effective so that is can be enjoyed by the masses and must be very safe, reliable, and must not require extended training by the participants for proper use.
The space ride simulator of the present invention addresses the aforementioned needs. Specifically, the space ride simulator allows the average person to experience the thrills and excitement of space travel without the prohibitively high cost of actually traveling through space. The space ride simulator allows the user to experience the sights and sounds and movements of space travel, the weightlessness of space travel, and the effects of reduced gravitational pull experienced when walking on a celestial body that is smaller than the earth, such as the moon. The space ride simulator is extremely cost effective, when compared to actual space flight or even a ride on the Vomit Comet, so that is can be enjoyed by the masses and the simulator is very safe, very reliable, and does not require extended training by the participants for proper enjoyment.
The space ride simulator of the present invention is comprised of a virtual three dimensional simulator wherein a user on board the simulator experiences various extraterrestrial travel sights and sounds and movements. A weightlessness room is connected to the simulator wherein a first magnet of a given polarity is embedded within a first floor of the weightlessness room and a user of the weightlessness room dons a vest having a second magnet attached there, the second magnet being of the same polarity as the polarity of the first magnet such that the strength of the first magnet is sufficient to repel the user donning the vest from coming in contact with the first floor due to the magnetic repulsion of the first magnet and the second magnet. The simulator may be roller coaster based or may be a fixed 3-D simulator of appropriate design. The weightlessness room has various extraterrestrial sights and sounds contained therein and may have a maze, either horizontal in orientation, vertical in orientation, or some combination thereof. The weightlessness room may be padded or the user may be tethered to a ceiling of the weightlessness room while within the weightlessness room, or both. A weight reduced room is entered wherein a third magnet is embedded within a second floor of the weight reduced room, the third magnet being of the same polarity as the polarity of the first magnet and the second magnet, such that the strength of the third magnet is sufficient to reduce the gravitation interaction of the user donning the vest with respect to the second floor (the third magnet repels the user donning the second magnet-laden vest to a sufficient degree so that user contacts the floor of the weight reduced room with less frequency than can be experienced by a user subject to the standard gravitational pull of the earth). The weightlessness room, the weight reduced room, and the simulator are all interconnected such that a bridge connects the weight reduced room with the simulator. The weight reduced room has various extraterrestrial body sights and sounds contained therein. The weight reduced room may also be padded or the user may be tethered to a ceiling of the weight reduced room while within the weight reduced room or both.